Stay with me
by alexandra.altenberger
Summary: One month has passed since Jeminya's capture, and Faerthurin is under a lot of pressure. Can Jalerom find a way to cheer her up?
1. Will you stay?

This will be my first fanfic, so please no hate. critiques are fine, but be nice!

cover image credit goes to Eliyora, voice actress/player of Faerthurin

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words in italics are thoughts

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"Tiring. What a perfect way to describe these meetings." The words echo in the nearly empty council chambers as Jalerom sits with his forehead on the table. "Nah, maybe frustrating fits better."

It's been almost a month since Jeminya was taken, and progress with the council has come to a standstill. Rose left a week ago to help Arden in Nassa. Sure Amber and Ivan are helping with cleanup alongside Oin, but those two are in the "lovey-dovey stage" of their new relationship. While it's sweet and cute(how can it not be with those two?), it's not very helpful. thankfully Oin is there to keep them on task. And Faerthurin...

Jalerom gives a small,sad smile. Fae has been cooped up in that basement "room" researching a way to get their dear friend back from hell. The only time she has come out was for meals and once to deliver the spell to help the young dragon couple.

* _Speaking of food,*_ Jae wonders as he leaves the room, * _I didn't see Fae at breakfast this morning._ * Looking back he eyes a small loaf of bread on the table and snags it.

Heading down the long flights of stairs to the basement, he shudders. He's tried to avoid coming down here as much as possible. The feel of that room still gives him the "heebie-jeebies". He never told the others this, but he accidently read more of the warden's journal than he intended, and lets just say it painted a not so pretty picture in his brain. But still, he smiles, the thought of seeing fae makes it worth it. With him trying to get directian up and running again, and her studying, they haven't had much time to be together, much less go on that date he asked her for.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Jae is greeted by none other than the feathered fiend landing on his head.

"hey there Lucid," Jalerom breaks off a piece of bread for him, "how's fae?"

Suddenly they hear a loud crash, startling them both. Lucid snatches the chunk of bread and flies off toward the sound.

"Fae? is everything alri..." Jae enters the room and sees Fae huddled in the corner, scattered books, scrolls, and paper littering the ground. His ears pick up the sound of quiet sobbing. Concerned, he kneels on the floor in front of her. "Fae? Whats wrong?"

She lifts her head from her arms and he sees her face clearly even in the dim light. Her pale cheeks are stained with tears, there are bags under her tired violet eyes, yet still he thinks she is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen.

"I can't do it." she whispers.

"huh?" Jae says, confused.

"I CAN"T DO IT! I CAN"T FIGURE THIS OUT!" she cries, "It's been nearly a month and I still have no clue on how to save Jeminya!"

Jae places his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, it's okay, we all knew it would take some time to find a way to her. We just need to keep trying."

She looks away. "No, it's not okay! The longer it takes to get there, the longer she is in there suffering from who knows what!" she sobs.

"Am I... am I just not smart enough?"

Jae pulls her into a tight hug. "Don't you ever say that! You are the most smartest, most beautiful, and talented woman I've ever known. Don't you ever doubt that."

She gives a small giggle. "Most smartest? Seriously?"

"Hey! It worked didn't it?" he grins

Faerthurin pulls back and wipes the tears away. "Thanks."

Jalerom lets go and sits next to her. "Anytime. By the way, when was the last time you ate? I didn't see you this morning."

Fae pauses. "I... I don't know." Jae pulls out the bread. "Then it's a good thing I brought this! It's no heroes feast, but it should do for now." He splits it and hands her the much bigger piece. They proceed to eat in relatively comfortable silence, watching the little menace peck away at his own chunk of bread.

Fae looks down and away. "Hey Jalerom?" He looks over as he finishes his small meal. "Yeah?"

Her cheeks pink a little "Do... do you really think I'm beautiful?

Jae blushes, and smiles softly. "Of course. I don't think there's anyone more beautiful in all of Alatastica. Don't tell Ziadrel or her mother this but, I bet you could even give angels a run for their money." She smiles, blushing slightly.

He stands "Now, it's time you got some rest."

Fae begins to protest "But my research.."

"Will still be here when you wake. You can't learn anything new when you're tired. Now come on." He holds out his hand for her. She huffs, but grasps his hand "Fine, you win." Jae helps her to her feet, and she immediately stumbles into him.

"Told ya." "Shut it you."

Jalerom gently leads over to the large bed, glad he managed to convince some dragons to bring it down. Gods knows she would not have been able to make it up all those stairs in this state. She settles in, and feeling a little brave, Jae gives her a quick kiss on her forehead. "Sleep well, Fae."

He turns to leave, but stops dead in his tracks as her hand grips his wrist. "Wait, don't go!"

"What is it?" he asks. She blushes "Will you... stay with me? Please?"

Jae is stunned * _Is she serious?_ * "A-Are you sure?"

She nods "I don't want to be alone right now."

Jae's gaze softens with understanding. "Okay." He moves around to the other side of the bed and climbs in, making sure to leave a good few inches between them. Faerthurin quickly falls asleep, comforted by Jalerom's presence. A few minutes pass, and Jae hears her start to mumble in her sleep. "No, please! Don't leave me! Jem, Jae..." She mutters, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

* _Is she having a nightmare?_ * Jae turns toward her and very lightly strokes her hair. "It's okay, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Suddenly she turns over and wraps her arms around him tight, snuggling into his chest as if he was a pillow. Immediately she relaxes and smiles. Jae however, stiffens in surprise, his face redder than a teifling. * _Crap, what do I do? Oh gods, if she wakes up and sees us like this, she might think I did something!_ * He starts to panic, trying to think of a way out of his, when he hears her say one last thing that stuns him.

"...lo..ve...yo..u..Jae.."

* _Did she.. just say she, loves me?_ * Slowly, he too relaxes seeing her smile, and wraps his arms around her. * _Well, if she's happy, I think I'll take whatever hell she'll give me tomorrow._ * Lucid, now finished with his meal, flies over and lands on the bedpost, giving Jalerom a very evil glare. Jae looks up, sees the nuisance about to protest, and shushes him. "shh, be quiet! She needs this right now. You can peck me all you want in the morning, but for now let her rest." he whispers. Lucid looks down at his mistress sleeping peacefully, and reluctantly nods before flying off to his roost.

Jae looks back at Fae's lovely face and brushes some of her hair out of her eyes. "You stubborn bookworm, what am I going to do with you?" he whispers, and settles in to sleep. "I love you too, my sweet Rin."


	2. Always

Jalerom wakes with a start, gasping and sweating bullets. "What the hell was that?" His words echo slightly in the darkened bedroom. _I just need some air, it was only a dream._ Leaving his bed, he crosses the room to the window. With trembling hands, he fumbles with the lock a bit before throwing it open, drawing in deep breaths of the cool night air. Leaning out the window, he sighs. "Why won't this nightmare just go away?" For over a week now, Jae has been having the same nightmare every night. They start out pleasant, but it always ends the same. _Though, now that i think about it, this one seemed slightly different._

Suddenly, Jalerom hears the quiet creak of the floorboards just outside his door. He turns slowly, one hand on quickstrike. While it hasn't happened since the dishonor brigade disbanded, it wouldn't be the first time someone tried to end him in his sleep. He immediately relaxes though, when he sees a familiar head of lovely violet locks poke through the doorway. "Fae? What are you doing in here?"

"Oh, sorry! I was just looking for one of my books, and I thought that I might have left it in here. Did i wake you?" Faerthurin crosses over to him. He shakes his head "No, I was already up." He turns back to gaze out the window, grateful for her presence. She seemed to be doing slightly better since that night he found her in the basement, but they have not shared a bed since then, to Jalerom's slight disappointment. But still, he's glad to see her again, considering...

Faerthurin notices him beginning to tremble. "Are you ok? What's wrong?" Jae looks away, "Nothing's wrong, I'm fine." Fae raises an eyebrow, "Yeah, sure. You're just up in the middle of the night for no reason at all." Her gaze softens, "Talk to me, please?" He sighs, "All right, I... I had a nightmare." "A nightmare?" Jae nods, "Yeah, and I've been having the same one for over a week. But this last one seemed... different." Fae places her hand on top of his. "You can tell me about it, if you want?" Linking his fingers with hers, he nods. "Okay. Well, it started out fine, quite pleasant actually. We were on the beach in Mirid Port..."

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-nightmare-

 _Jalerom and Faerthurin were walking along the sand, hands intertwined, just enjoying each others company as the sun was setting. Spotting something lying in the surf, Jae rushes forward to pick up a beautiful conch shell. He turns around to show it to Fae, but is shocked to see she has disappeared. Suddenly everything fades to black as the air is filled with whispers._ You were too late. You're not good enough. _Jalerom tries to block out the words by covering his ears._ Failure. You don't deserve her. You're a disgrace. _"Stop it!" Then he suddenly hears the sound of sobbing. Looking up, he sees Fae in the distance. "Fae? Fae! What's wrong?" Jae sprints over to her, only to smack into a glass wall. "What the.." Looking around, he notices that he's back in the tower room in the outlands, in front of the giant orb. Turning back to Fae, he sees her in the orb holding his lifeless body, crying her eyes out and begging for him to come back. Jalerom begins to pound his fists on the glass. "I'm right here! I won't leave you! I want to stay with you!"_

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Jae's grip tightens slightly. "And that's when I would wake up. But this time..."

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 _ **Are you sure?** Startled, Jae spins around to locate this new voice, but there's no one there. Turning back to the orb, he sees the orb is now filled with flames, and the room has once again returned to nothingness. In a deep ominous tone, the voice continues to speak it's message. **If you continue down this path, the is nothing but pain and suffering. Following her into hell will mean a fate worse than death if you fail, and you can't get a second chance there. Now, are you sure you wish to stay with this one?** Facing the empty blackness, Jalerom stares into the void with a look of solid determination, and says one single word. **Very well. Enjoy your future.** Suddenly the floor seems to disappear beneath him, and he plummets into what appears to be an endless, scorching inferno._

-end nightmare-

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Tears begin to roll down Jalerom's face. "What if they're right?" He turns away as his voice starts to tremble. "I... I'm scared Fae. I've already died once. Heh, twice if you count the night twist." He gives a weak smile, but it quickly fades. "If where we're planning to go is this dangerous, I don't... I don't want to lose you. I don't think I would be able to handle it if something ever happened to you. I..I..." He stops as he feels a pair of arms encircling him. "That's not going to happen. I, and the rest of our friends, will make sure it doesn't." Faerthurin turns him around, holds his head in her hands, and gives him a sweet kiss. "Anything that tries to hurt me will have get though them first, plus get past a very talented assassin who wouldn't let any harm come to me." She smiles and takes his hand. "Now come here, I know I'm not the only one who can't think straight when tired." She leads him over to the bed. As they settle in for the night, there's just one question left in Fae's mind. "Jae? What did you tell the voice before you fell?" He smiles, and holds her close.

"Always."

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Author's note:

I'd like to mention my thanks to several wonderful people:

First off, I want to thank S.E. Rowan for inspiring me to actually write my story, instead of keeping it in my head. Ever since I read their IvanXAmber fanfic, I wanted to write my stories as well. I recommend anyone reading this to check out their story as well.

I want to thank Eliyora, the person who actually plays Faerthurin, again for allowing me to use her art as the cover image for this story. Go check out the rest of her wonderful works on Deviantart.

I also want to thank the rest of the Brony D&D group. You guys have created an awesome story. When I first discovered your series, I marathoned so many episodes in a row, and lost plenty of sleep doing so. (still worth it!) I can't wait to see what will happen to my favorite adventurers next!

And lastly, I want to thank everyone who has read my story. In the real world, I don't have any friends. I have Asperger's, and I have trouble socializing with people beyond simple talks like saying "hello", or talking to the person at a cash register. Mostly this is because I don't know anyone in my area who's into the same stuff I like, and there aren't many places I can go to meet people like that. So when I see that people have read my story, and actually like it, it makes me really, really happy! So thank you to everyone who has given my story a chance. I know my writing skills are still not the best, but I am going to continue to try to improve!

I can't promise another chapter or a new story at the moment, but if inspiration hits I'll be sure to update to let you know!

Once again, Thank you!


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